Helicopter search light and method for detection and tracking of anomalous or suspicious behaviour

ABSTRACT

A system for detecting and tracking an object that is exhibiting an anomalous behavior from a helicopter is disclosed. The system includes a search light connected to the helicopter; a camera; and a processor including an object detection module coupled to the search light and the camera, the object detection module being configured to receive a plurality of images from the camera, compare the plurality of images against a pattern database, determine the object is exhibiting the anomalous behavior and instruct the search light to point toward the object.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to, and the benefit of, Indian PatentApplication No. 202041030433, filed Jul. 16, 2020 and titled “HELICOPTERSEARCH LIGHT AND METHOD FOR DETECTION AND TRACKING OF ANOMALOUS ORSUSPICIOUS BEHAVIOUR,” which is incorporated by reference herein in itsentirety for all purposes.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to systems and methods used fordetecting and tracking anomalous or suspicious behavior of vehicles orhumans and, more particularly, to helicopter search lights and relatedsystems and methods used for such detection and tracking the behavioronce detected.

BACKGROUND

Helicopters are often equipped with search lights configured toilluminate the environment around the helicopter and, in particular, toilluminate the ground in an area in front of and below the helicopter.Helicopter search lights are particularly useful for establishingsituational awareness or for inspecting the ground for potentialobstacles, such as, for example, power lines, trees, etc., duringnighttime landings or when operating close to the ground.

A helicopter search light is a device that can project a powerful andfocused beam of white or infrared light in a particular direction.Helicopter search lights may be used for many purposes, such as, forexample, military and policing operations, surveillance operations, andsearch and rescue operations occurring in difficult geographical terrainor adverse weather conditions. Such lights are typically mounted on theunderside or the nose of the helicopter and are adjustable in bothintensity and direction. Adjustability in direction is generallyaccomplished by rotating a light head in the vertical or horizontaldirections via direct-current motors coupled to a differential gear box.

Notwithstanding the use of motors, directional control of the searchlight is typically performed manually via control switches or dials.Thus, if a crew desires to focus a search light on a moving object inorder to track the object, the crew is typically required to continuallyadjust the direction of the beam by continually manipulating the controlswitches or dials while, at the same time, operating the helicopter.Having to simultaneously control the direction of the search light andthe operation of the helicopter may create dangerous situations,particularly when operating in difficult terrain or adverse weatherconditions.

SUMMARY

A system for detecting and tracking an object that is exhibiting ananomalous behavior from a helicopter is disclosed. In variousembodiments, the system includes a search light connected to thehelicopter; a camera; and a processor including an object detectionmodule coupled to the search light and the camera, the object detectionmodule being configured to receive a plurality of images from thecamera, compare the plurality of images against a pattern database,determine the object is exhibiting the anomalous behavior and instructthe search light to point toward the object.

In various embodiments, the system further includes a display moduleconfigured to display the plurality of images. In various embodiments,the system further includes an alert module configured to indicatedetection of the object. In various embodiments, the system furtherincludes an input module configured to input to the object detectionmodule a geographic region identifier and an object identifier. Invarious embodiments, the geographic region identifier is at least one ofa highway, an international boundary, a residential area or a waterbody. In various embodiments, the object identifier is at least one of ahuman, an automobile, a fire or smoke.

In various embodiments, the camera is a video-camera configured togenerate an input video stream for transmitting to the object detectionmodule. In various embodiments, the system further includes an objecttracking module configured to point the search light toward the objectbased on instructions received by the object detection module. Invarious embodiments, the pattern database includes a lookup tableconfigured to store a feature of the object and to recognize the objectvia the object detection module following a reappearance of the objecthaving previously left a field of view of the camera. In variousembodiments, the search light includes a first plurality of lightsources configured to operate in a spotlight mode and a second pluralityof light sources configured to operate in a floodlight mode.

A method for detecting and tracking an object that is exhibiting ananomalous behavior from a helicopter is disclosed. In variousembodiments, the method includes orienting a camera toward a region ofinterest; receiving, via a processor including an object detectionmodule, a plurality of images from the camera; comparing the pluralityof images against a pattern database included within the objectdetection module; determining, via the object detection module, theobject is exhibiting the anomalous behavior; and instructing, via theobject detection module, a search light to point toward the object.

In various embodiments, the method further includes displaying via adisplay module the plurality of images. In various embodiments, themethod further includes alerting via an alert module a detection of theobject. In various embodiments, the method further includes inputting tothe object detection module via an input module a geographic regionidentifier and an object identifier. In various embodiments, thegeographic region identifier is at least one of a highway, aninternational boundary, a residential area or a water body. In variousembodiments, the object identifier is at least one of a human, anautomobile a fire or smoke.

In various embodiments, the camera is a video-camera configured togenerate an input video stream for transmitting to the object detectionmodule. In various embodiments, an object tracking module is configuredto point the search light toward the object based on instructionsreceived by the object detection module. In various embodiments, thepattern database includes a lookup table configured to store a featureof the object and to recognize the object via the object detectionmodule following a reappearance of the object having previously left afield of view of the camera. In various embodiments, the search lightincludes a first plurality of light sources configured to operate in aspotlight mode and a second plurality of light sources configured tooperate in a floodlight mode.

The forgoing features and elements may be combined in any combination,without exclusivity, unless expressly indicated herein otherwise. Thesefeatures and elements as well as the operation of the disclosedembodiments will become more apparent in light of the followingdescription and accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings illustrate various embodiments employing theprinciples described herein and are a part of the specification. Theillustrated embodiments are meant for description and not to limit thescope of the claims.

FIG. 1 illustrates a helicopter having a helicopter search light, inaccordance with various embodiments;

FIGS. 2A and 2B illustrate top views of a helicopter search light havinga camera mounted thereon, in accordance with various embodiments;

FIG. 2C illustrates a side view of a helicopter search configured tohave a camera mounted thereon, in accordance with various embodiments;

FIG. 3 illustrates a system used for detecting and tracking anomalous orsuspicious behavior using a helicopter equipped with a search light andcamera, in accordance with various embodiments; and

FIGS. 4A and 4B illustrate a flowchart describing a method used fordetecting and tracking anomalous or suspicious behavior using ahelicopter equipped with a search light and camera, in accordance withvarious embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following detailed description of various embodiments herein makesreference to the accompanying drawings, which show various embodimentsby way of illustration. While these various embodiments are described insufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice thedisclosure, it should be understood that other embodiments may berealized and that changes may be made without departing from the scopeof the disclosure. Thus, the detailed description herein is presentedfor purposes of illustration only and not of limitation. Furthermore,any reference to singular includes plural embodiments, and any referenceto more than one component or step may include a singular embodiment orstep. Also, any reference to attached, fixed, connected, or the like mayinclude permanent, removable, temporary, partial, full or any otherpossible attachment option. Additionally, any reference to withoutcontact (or similar phrases) may also include reduced contact or minimalcontact. It should also be understood that unless specifically statedotherwise, references to “a,” “an” or “the” may include one or more thanone and that reference to an item in the singular may also include theitem in the plural. Further, all ranges may include upper and lowervalues and all ranges and ratio limits disclosed herein may be combined.

With reference now to FIG. 1, a helicopter 100 flying at a height Habove the ground G is illustrated. In accordance with variousembodiments, the helicopter 100 is equipped with a helicopter searchlight 102, which is mounted to a front and bottom portion of thehelicopter 100. The helicopter search light 102 comprises a lightingarrangement having an adjustable light output. In various embodiments,for example, the lighting arrangement of the helicopter search light 102may have two modes of operation: a floodlight mode and a spotlight mode.The spotlight mode is sometimes called a search mode or a pencil mode.

When operated in the spotlight mode, a narrow beam of light 104, asschematically illustrated by the dashed lines in FIG. 1, is emitted fromthe helicopter search light 102. The pilot may thus inspect the groundwithin an area A about a center position P where a main light emissiondirection 106 meets the ground. In the spotlight mode, the light emittedby the helicopter search light 102 is bundled along the main lightemission direction 106. As a result, the ground is brightly illuminatedwithin the area A, which is located about the center position P,allowing for a close and thorough inspection of the ground G or of anobject on the ground G that is within the area A.

When operated in the floodlight mode, a wide beam of light 108, asschematically illustrated by the solid lines in FIG. 1, is emitted fromthe helicopter search light 102. As illustrated, the cone of lightresulting from the floodlight mode is much broader than the cone oflight resulting from the spotlight mode, with both cones of light stilldefining a main light emission direction 106 at the centers of thecones. In various embodiments, the cone of light resulting from thefloodlight mode may have an opening angle of about one-hundred degrees(100°), which is indicated by the angle sweep 110 shown in FIG. 1. Whenusing the floodlight mode, the pilot may inspect a larger portion of theenvironment outside the helicopter 100 than when using the spotlightmode. However, when using the floodlight mode, the lighting power of thehelicopter search light 102 is distributed over a larger angular regionthan when in the spotlight mode and, thus, the luminance of the ground Gis considerably less than when using the spotlight mode. Consequently,the floodlight mode is typically employed when the helicopter 100 isflying at a height H not greater than about twenty to thirty meters(20-30 m), which may be considered relatively close to the ground G.

Referring now to FIGS. 2A, 2B and 2C, top and side views of a helicoptersearch light 202, similar to the helicopter search light 102 describedabove, are illustrated. In various embodiments, the helicopter searchlight 202 includes a light head 220 having a housing in the form of acylindrical side wall 222. The light head 220 further includes a firstplurality of light sources 224 and a second plurality of light sources226 that are spaced apart and arranged in a pattern (e.g., a circularpattern or a hexagonal pattern where the numbers of light sources equalssix, as illustrated) within the light head 220. Each of the firstplurality of light sources 224 is associated with a first optical system228 and each of the second plurality of light sources is associated witha second optical system 230.

In various embodiments, each of the first plurality of light sources 224that are associated with the first optical system 228 are of identicaldesign and positioned at the corners of a first equilateral hexagon,which is indicated by dashed lines in FIGS. 2A and 2B. Similarly, eachof the second plurality of light sources 226 that are associated withthe second optical system 230 are of identical design and positioned atthe corners of a second equilateral hexagon that is positioned radiallyoutward of the first equilateral hexagon. As illustrated, each of thesecond plurality of light sources 226 is packed between adjacent pairsof the first plurality of light sources 224 and the cylindrical sidewall 222 of the light head 220. In various embodiments, the firstplurality of light sources 224 associated with the first optical system228 is configured for providing the spotlight mode of operation, whilethe second plurality of light sources 226 associated with the secondoptical system 230 is configured for providing the floodlight mode ofoperation. As will be appreciated, the disclosure contemplates otherarrangements of the various pluralities of light sources within thelight head 220. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 2B, the light head220 may include an auxiliary light source 232 centrally positionedwithin the first plurality of light sources 224. In various embodiments,the auxiliary light source 232 may be associated with either of thefirst optical system 228 or the second optical system 230, or it may beassociated with a third optical system that is separate from the firstand second optical systems.

Referring now primarily to FIG. 2C, a cross-sectional side view of thelight head 220, taken along the cross-sectional plane S indicated inFIG. 2B, is illustrated. The light head 220 has a light emission sideLE, depicted as the top side of the cross-sectional plane S, and a heatdischarge side HD, depicted as the bottom side of the cross-sectionalplane S. At the heat discharge side, the light head 220 includes acooling rib structure 235 configured to provide a heat sink for thefirst and second pluralities of light sources. As further illustrated,each of the first plurality of light sources 224 comprises a collimatinglens or a collimating reflector configured to generally focus the lightin a beam for the spotlight mode of operation. Conversely, each of thesecond plurality of light sources 226 do not include a collimator, andthus are configured to emit light in more of a spherical or cone-shapedmanner for the floodlight mode of operation. In various embodiments,each of the first plurality of light sources 224 and each of the secondplurality of light sources 226 comprise light emitting diodes (LEDs)that are configured to emit white light in the visible light range—e.g.,light that is visible to the human eye. In various embodiments, one ormore of the first plurality of light sources 224 or the second pluralityof light sources 226 may also be configured for emitting infrared orultraviolet light.

Still referring to FIGS. 2A-2C, the light head 220 includes a viewingsystem 240. In various embodiments, the viewing system 240 may bepositioned at a central location within the light head 220, asillustrated at FIG. 2A, or the viewing system 240 may be positioned at aperipheral location (e.g., attached to the cylindrical side wall 222) asillustrated at FIG. 2B. In various embodiments, the viewing system 240comprises a video-camera configured to capture and transmit on the orderof thirty frames per second (30 fps) or greater. Further, in variousembodiments, the light head 220 includes a controller 234 (see FIG. 2C),which may be integrated within the light head 220, as illustrated, orpositioned within the helicopter. The controller 234 typically includesa switching circuit that is electrically coupled to an electrical powersource, as well as to each of the first plurality of light sources 224and each of the second plurality of light sources 226. The switchingcircuit allows for selectively switching the first plurality of lightsources 224 and the second plurality of light sources 226 on and off andfor selectively switching between the spotlight mode and the floodlightmode or a combination of the two modes. In various embodiments, thecontroller 234 is also configured to operate the viewing system240—e.g., to turn the viewing system 240 on and off or to select variousviewing parameters, such as, for example, focal length and frame speed.Further, in various embodiments, the controller 234 is configured toadjust or rotate the field of view of the viewing system 240, which, invarious embodiments, is on the order of at least seventy degrees (70°)in the horizontal and at least sixty degrees (60°) in the vertical.Rotating the field of view may be accomplished, for example, byreorienting or rotating the main light emission direction 106 of thehelicopter search light to which the viewing system 240 is attached orby reorienting or rotating the viewing system 240 independent of thehelicopter search light. In various embodiments, the controller 234 mayinclude a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP),an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmablegate array (FPGA) or some other programmable logic device, discrete gateor transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combinationthereof.

Referring now to FIG. 3, a system 300 for detecting and tracking anobject from a helicopter, such as the helicopter 100 described abovewith reference to FIG. 1, is illustrated. In various embodiments, thesystem includes a helicopter search light 302, similar to the helicoptersearch light 202 described above with reference to FIGS. 2A-2C, and aviewing system 340, similar to the viewing system 240 described abovewith reference to FIGS. 2A and 2B. In various embodiments, the viewingsystem 340 is configured to capture and transmit a plurality of imagesor a video stream of images of a region of interest or one or moreobjects within the region of interest. The system 300 further includesan object detection module 350 that includes a pattern database, anobject tracking module 304, an alert module 306, a display module 308and an object selection module 310. In various embodiments, the objectdetection module 350 is configured to detect anomalous or suspiciousbehavior based on data stored within the pattern database. By way ofexample, while the helicopter is traveling along or proximate a highwayor an interstate, the helicopter search light 302 and the viewing system340 may be aimed in the general direction of the highway or theinterstate. Data obtained from the viewing system 340 is transmitted tothe object detection module 350 and analyzed against various anomalousscenarios stored within the pattern database. If, for example, a vehicleis traveling on the highway or the interstate in the wrong direction orif a person is walking across the highway or the interstate and indanger of being struck by a vehicle, the object detection module willprovide a signal to the alert module 306, which will then alert thepilot (e.g., via an audible or visual signal) of the anomalous behavioror scenario. At the same time, a visual depiction of the anomalousbehavior or scenario is displayed via the display module 308. The pilotthen has the choice to select for tracking the object exhibiting theanomalous behavior or scenario via an input to the object selectionmodule 310. If the pilot elects to track the object, then the objecttracking module 304 is activated and continuously moves the helicoptersearch light 302 and the viewing system 340 such that they both remainaimed at the object or objects being tracked.

Referring now to FIGS. 4A and 4B, flowcharts are provided that morefully describe operation of a system 400 for detecting and tracking anobject from a helicopter, similar to the system 300 described above withreference to FIG. 3. At step 402, a viewing system, such as, forexample, a video-camera is turned on and oriented toward an area ofinterest. At step 404, the viewing system captures and transmits imagesof the area of interest at a rate equal to at least thirty frames persecond (30 fps). As noted above, in various embodiments, a field of viewof the viewing system is on the order of at least seventy degrees (70°)in the horizontal and at least sixty degrees (60°) in the vertical. Atstep 406, the images are acquired and transmitted to a crew display unit408 and to a control module 410. If the control module 410 is set tomanual, then the helicopter crew decides whether or not to detect anyanomalous or suspicious activity occurring within the area of interestat step 412. If a decision is made to detect anomalous or suspiciousactivities, then the images are transmitted to an object detectionmodule 450, similar to the object detection module 350 described abovewith reference to FIG. 3. If the control module 410 is set to automatic,then the images are transmitted to the object detection module 450without input from the helicopter crew. The object detection module 450,as discussed further below, includes a pattern database 452 and aprocessor 454 configured to process the images and to make comparisonsof the images against data within the pattern database 452.

At step 414, features of the objects detected within the area ofinterest (e.g., an automobile or a human) are identified and extracted.At step 416, a determination is made as to whether the object isstationary or moving. If the object is stationary, then a decision ismade whether or not to track the object at step 418. If the decision isto not track the object, then the system 400 returns to the objectdetection module 450 and continues as described above. If the decisionis to track the object, then an object tracking module 420 is activated.The object tracking module, similar to the object tracking module 304described above with reference to FIG. 3, controls movement of ahelicopter search light such that it remains aimed at the object beingtracked. In similar fashion, if the object is moving, then a decision ismade whether or not to track the object at step 424. If the decision isto not track the object, then the system 400 returns to the objectdetection module 450 and continues as described above. If the decisionis to track the object, then the helicopter search light is focused onthe object at step 426 and the object tracking module 420 is activatedand controls movement of the helicopter search light and the viewingsystem, at step 422, such that both remain aimed at the object beingtracked. At the same time, because the object is moving, the systemcontinues operation of the viewing system at step 428. The various stepsrepeat sequentially until the helicopter crew halts tracking. A user mayalso manually input various modes of operation at step 430 via an inputmodule.

Referring more particularly to FIG. 4B, and with continued reference toFIG. 4A, further details of the object detection module 450 areprovided. In various embodiments, the object detection module 450receives an input video stream at step 456. The input video stream isprovided, for example, following the image acquisition at step 406 inFIG. 4A. The input video stream is analyzed at step 458 for any objectsdisplaying anomalous or suspicious behavior. In various embodiments, thedetection may be made by comparing the input video stream against thepattern database 452. Any objects detected are further analyzed at step460 to determine whether the objects are known to currently not beanomalous or suspicious. If known to currently not be anomalous orsuspicious, the objects are rescanned and reanalyzed, at step 464,following receipt of subsequent images received from the input videostream. If, on the other hand, the objects detected are not known tocurrently not be anomalous or suspicious, then the objects are furtheranalyzed at step 462. If this further analysis determines an object isacting in an anomalous of suspicious behavior, then the system 400proceeds with tracking at step 466 as described above with reference toFIG. 4A. If, on the other hand, the further analysis determines anobject is not acting in an anomalous of suspicious behavior, then theobjects are rescanned and reanalyzed, at step 464.

Operation of the object detection module 450 is based on various machinelearning models or deep learning models configured to detect thepresence of anomalous or suspicious behavior or activity. The variousmachine learning models may comprise, for example, a Viola-Jones objectdetection model, a scale-invariant feature transformation model, or ahistogram of oriented gradients model. The various deep learning modelsmay comprise, for example, a You Only Look Once (YOLO) model, any of theclass of region proposal models (e.g., R-CNN, Fast R-CNN, Faster R-CNNor Cascade R-CNN) or various neural network models, including, forexample, a single-shot refinement neural network for object detectionmodel. The resulting system is thus self-learning, meaning the patterndatabase 452 is continually updated through each operation. Initialoperation of the system may employ pre-defined image data sets compiledfrom various sources (e.g., photographs taken from online sources). Thepre-defined image data sets may be categorized with reference todifferent geographic regions, such as, for example, an urban residentialarea, a rural area, a forest, a water body, a highway, an internationalboundary or border, etc. With each use of the system, the image datasets may be updated for the different geographic regions based on wherethe system is being operated. During or prior to operation, inputs tothe system (e.g., via the user input at step 430) may include selectionof a data set corresponding to a specific geographic region (e.g., ahighway) and selection of a specific type of object being considered fordetection and tracking (e.g., a human crossing or an automobiletraveling on the highway). Selection of the geographic region and theobject being considered may be referred to as a geographic regionidentifier and an object identifier, respectively, both of which may beentered into the system via an input module at step 430. Additionally,the object detection module 450 may be configured to include a lookuptable (e.g., within the pattern database) for each object marked fortracking, thereby enabling a resumption of tracking in the event anobject is lost from the current field of view of the viewing system(e.g., a human or an automobile becomes positioned under a bridge orwithin a tunnel for a period of time). In such embodiments, the systemmay be configured to continue tracking various other objects until theobject lost from the current field of view reappears, at which point allobjects may be tracked.

By way of examples, the system may be used to detect and track a vehiclemoving in an incorrect direction or in a suspicious manner (e.g.,weaving in and out of lanes or traveling at an excessive rate of speed)on a highway. More specifically, the helicopter crew may start thesystem (e.g., start the video-camera) and input a highway and anautomobile as operating modes. The captured images are transmitted tothe object detection module 450 to detect the automobile exhibitinganomalous or suspicious behavior. Once detected, the helicopter crew isalerted and a decision is made whether to track the automobile. If thedecision is made to track the automobile, additional characteristics(e.g., color and model of the automobile and travel direction) arestored within the pattern database, either permanently or temporarily.

In a similar example, the system may be used to detect and track one ormore humans exhibiting suspicious activities. The helicopter crew mayinput a geographic region (e.g., a highway) and a human as operatingmodes. The captured images are transmitted to the object detectionmodule 450 to detect one or more humans exhibiting anomalous orsuspicious behavior (e.g., crossing or walking along a highway). Oncedetected, the helicopter crew is alerted and a decision is made whetherto track the one or more humans. If the decision is made to track theone or more humans, additional characteristics (e.g., color of clothsand physical features) are stored within the pattern database, eitherpermanently or temporarily. Similar examples may be made with respect toother geographic regions (e.g., international borders to detect illegalcrossings or urban areas to monitor the movements of individualsexhibiting illegal behavior).

Examples of relatively stationary objects include detection of trackingof large groups of individuals or accident sites. For example, wherelarge numbers of individuals are present (e.g., large protests),appropriate operational modes may be selected according to geographicregion and the movement of individuals or groups of individuals may betracked for suspicious behavior within the larger group of individuals(e.g., groups of individuals approaching police or property underprotection). Similarly, the system may be used to detect and trackvarious elements at the scenes of accidents, where objects such as fire,smoke, fire trucks or ambulances may be detected, thereby alerting thehelicopter crew of a potential accident site.

The above disclosure provides a method for detecting and tracking anobject that is exhibiting an anomalous behavior from a helicopter and asystem for accomplishing the same, the anomalous behavior typicallybeing exhibited by, for example, humans or automobiles, whetherstationary or moving. Various benefits of the disclosure include areduction of crew required to operate a helicopter and a reduction indistractions to the crew while operating the helicopter. The disclosurealso provides a low cost solution for operating a helicopter searchlight and an easily mountable viewing system for use in conjunction withthe helicopter search light. The systems disclosed herein may beretrofitted to existing helicopters without extensive modifications toexisting hardware or software and may be readily upgraded asimprovements to machine learning models or deep learning models aremade.

The system and methods described herein may be described in terms offunctional block components, screen shots, optional selections, andvarious processing steps. It should be appreciated that such functionalblocks may be realized by any number of hardware or software componentsconfigured to perform the specified functions. For example, the systemmay employ various integrated circuit components, e.g., memory elements,processing elements, logic elements, look-up tables, and the like, whichmay carry out a variety of functions under the control of one or moremicroprocessors or other control devices. Similarly, the softwareelements of the system may be implemented with any programming orscripting language such as C, C++, C#, JAVA®, VBScript, COBOL,MICROSOFT® Active Server Pages, assembly, PERL®, PHP, PYTHON®, VisualBasic, SQL Stored Procedures, PL/SQL, any UNIX® shell script, andextensible markup language (XML) with the various algorithms beingimplemented with any combination of data structures, objects, processes,routines or other programming elements. Further, it should be noted thatthe system may employ any number of conventional techniques for datatransmission, signaling, data processing, network control, and the like.

The various system components discussed herein may also include one ormore of the following: a host server or other computing systemsincluding a processor for processing digital data; a memory coupled tothe processor for storing digital data; an input digitizer coupled tothe processor for inputting digital data; an application program storedin the memory and accessible by the processor for directing processingof digital data by the processor; a display device coupled to theprocessor and memory for displaying information derived from digitaldata processed by the processor; and a plurality of databases. Variousdatabases used herein may include: client data; merchant data; financialinstitution data; or like data useful in the operation of the system. Asthose skilled in the art will appreciate, users computer may include anoperating system (e.g., WINDOWS®, UNIX®, LINUX®, SOLARIS®, MACOS®, etc.)as well as various conventional support software and drivers typicallyassociated with computers.

Benefits, other advantages, and solutions to problems have beendescribed herein with regard to specific embodiments. Furthermore, theconnecting lines shown in the various figures contained herein areintended to represent exemplary functional relationships or physicalcouplings between the various elements. It should be noted that manyalternative or additional functional relationships or physicalconnections may be present in a practical system. However, the benefits,advantages, solutions to problems, and any elements that may cause anybenefit, advantage, or solution to occur or become more pronounced arenot to be construed as critical, required, or essential features orelements of the disclosure. The scope of the disclosure is accordinglyto be limited by nothing other than the appended claims, in whichreference to an element in the singular is not intended to mean “one andonly one” unless explicitly so stated, but rather “one or more.”Moreover, where a phrase similar to “at least one of A, B, or C” is usedin the claims, it is intended that the phrase be interpreted to meanthat A alone may be present in an embodiment, B alone may be present inan embodiment, C alone may be present in an embodiment, or that anycombination of the elements A, B and C may be present in a singleembodiment; for example, A and B, A and C, B and C, or A and B and C.Different cross-hatching is used throughout the figures to denotedifferent parts but not necessarily to denote the same or differentmaterials.

Systems, methods and apparatus are provided herein. In the detaileddescription herein, references to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,”“various embodiments,” etc., indicate that the embodiment described mayinclude a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but everyembodiment may not necessarily include the particular feature,structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrases are not necessarilyreferring to the same embodiment. Further, when a particular feature,structure, or characteristic is described in connection with anembodiment, it is submitted that it is within the knowledge of oneskilled in the art to affect such feature, structure, or characteristicin connection with other embodiments whether or not explicitlydescribed. After reading the description, it will be apparent to oneskilled in the relevant art(s) how to implement the disclosure inalternative embodiments.

Numbers, percentages, or other values stated herein are intended toinclude that value, and also other values that are about orapproximately equal to the stated value, as would be appreciated by oneof ordinary skill in the art encompassed by various embodiments of thepresent disclosure. A stated value should therefore be interpretedbroadly enough to encompass values that are at least close enough to thestated value to perform a desired function or achieve a desired result.The stated values include at least the variation to be expected in asuitable industrial process, and may include values that are within 10%,within 5%, within 1%, within 0.1%, or within 0.01% of a stated value.Additionally, the terms “substantially,” “about” or “approximately” asused herein represent an amount close to the stated amount that stillperforms a desired function or achieves a desired result. For example,the term “substantially,” “about” or “approximately” may refer to anamount that is within 10% of, within 5% of, within 1% of, within 0.1%of, and within 0.01% of a stated amount or value.

In various embodiments, system program instructions or controllerinstructions may be loaded onto a tangible, non-transitory,computer-readable medium (also referred to herein as a tangible,non-transitory, memory) having instructions stored thereon that, inresponse to execution by a controller, cause the controller to performvarious operations. The term “non-transitory” is to be understood toremove only propagating transitory signals per se from the claim scopeand does not relinquish rights to all standard computer-readable mediathat are not only propagating transitory signals per se. Stated anotherway, the meaning of the term “non-transitory computer-readable medium”and “non-transitory computer-readable storage medium” should beconstrued to exclude only those types of transitory computer-readablemedia that were found by In Re Nuijten to fall outside the scope ofpatentable subject matter under 35 U.S.C. § 101.

Furthermore, no element, component, or method step in the presentdisclosure is intended to be dedicated to the public regardless ofwhether the element, component, or method step is explicitly recited inthe claims. No claim element herein is to be construed under theprovisions of 35 U.S.C. 112(f) unless the element is expressly recitedusing the phrase “means for.” As used herein, the terms “comprises,”“comprising,” or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover anon-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, orapparatus that comprises a list of elements does not include only thoseelements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherentto such process, method, article, or apparatus.

Finally, it should be understood that any of the above describedconcepts can be used alone or in combination with any or all of theother above described concepts. Although various embodiments have beendisclosed and described, one of ordinary skill in this art wouldrecognize that certain modifications would come within the scope of thisdisclosure. Accordingly, the description is not intended to beexhaustive or to limit the principles described or illustrated herein toany precise form. Many modifications and variations are possible inlight of the above teaching.

What is claimed:
 1. A system for detecting and tracking an object thatis exhibiting an anomalous behavior from a helicopter, comprising: asearch light connected to the helicopter; a camera; and a processorincluding an object detection module coupled to the search light and thecamera, wherein the object detection module is configured to receive aplurality of images from the camera, compare the plurality of imagesagainst a pattern database, determine the object is exhibiting theanomalous behavior and instruct the search light to point toward theobject.
 2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a display moduleconfigured to display the plurality of images.
 3. The system of claim 2,further comprising an alert module configured to indicate detection ofthe object.
 4. The system of claim 3, further comprising an input moduleconfigured to input to the object detection module a geographic regionidentifier and an object identifier.
 5. The system of claim 4, whereinthe geographic region identifier is at least one of a highway, aninternational boundary, a residential area or a water body.
 6. Thesystem of claim 4, wherein the object identifier is at least one of ahuman, an automobile, a fire or smoke.
 7. The system of claim 1, whereinthe camera is a video-camera configured to generate an input videostream for transmitting to the object detection module.
 8. The system ofclaim 7, further comprising an object tracking module configured topoint the search light toward the object based on instructions receivedby the object detection module.
 9. The system of claim 8, wherein thepattern database includes a lookup table configured to store a featureof the object and to recognize the object via the object detectionmodule following a reappearance of the object having previously left afield of view of the camera.
 10. The system of claim 9, wherein thesearch light includes a first plurality of light sources configured tooperate in a spotlight mode and a second plurality of light sourcesconfigured to operate in a floodlight mode.
 11. A method for detectingand tracking an object that is exhibiting an anomalous behavior from ahelicopter, comprising: orienting a camera toward a region of interest;receiving, via a processor including an object detection module, aplurality of images from the camera; comparing the plurality of imagesagainst a pattern database included within the object detection module;determining, via the object detection module, the object is exhibitingthe anomalous behavior; and instructing, via the object detectionmodule, a search light to point toward the object.
 12. The method ofclaim 11, further comprising displaying via a display module theplurality of images.
 13. The method of claim 12, further comprisingalerting via an alert module a detection of the object.
 14. The methodof claim 13, further comprising inputting to the object detection modulevia an input module a geographic region identifier and an objectidentifier.
 15. The method of claim 14, wherein the geographic regionidentifier is at least one of a highway, an international boundary, aresidential area or a water body.
 16. The method of claim 14, whereinthe object identifier is at least one of a human, an automobile a fireor smoke.
 17. The method of claim 11, wherein the camera is avideo-camera configured to generate an input video stream fortransmitting to the object detection module.
 18. The method of claim 17,further comprising an object tracking module configured to point thesearch light toward the object based on instructions received by theobject detection module.
 19. The method of claim 18, wherein the patterndatabase includes a lookup table configured to store a feature of theobject and to recognize the object via the object detection modulefollowing a reappearance of the object having previously left a field ofview of the camera.
 20. The method of claim 19, wherein the search lightincludes a first plurality of light sources configured to operate in aspotlight mode and a second plurality of light sources configured tooperate in a floodlight mode.